Armed robberies in Darfur

One person was killed and 10 people were injured in three separate armed robberies in Central and North Darfur on Saturday. One attacker was killed as well, several others were wounded.

Adam Okarou told Radio Dabanga that gunmen driving a four-wheel-drive attacked Joint Forces in the Garani area, 11 kilometres from Nierteti, on Saturday evening. The attack left one of the gunmen dead. Three others were wounded. No troops from the Joint Forces were hurt.

Okarou said that the dead and injured attackers were transferred to Zalingei, where the wounded were treated.

The attack took place after the joint forces arrested a gunmen they caught looting a lorry in the Garani area on Saturday morning, Okarou said. Three gunmen intercepted the lorry eight kilometres from Garani and fired shots at the vehicle, causing it to overturn. This caused injuries to seven people. Three of them were transported to Nyala while a fourth was transferred to Golol. He explained that the families of the injured had filed a report with the Joint Forces in Garani.

Nierteti

In a separate incident on Saturday, a director of agricultural services was attacked while he was inspecting a project 10 kilometres southwest of Nierteti.

They attackers, who were using sticks, injured three people: Adam Isa Haroun (48), the owner of the car rented by the director, Mohamed Adam (32), the project manager, and Hasan Tijani (30), an employee from the agricultural services.

The attackers unsuccessfully tried to loot the car and steal the victim’s mobile phones. Following the attack, the victims filed a report with the Nierteti police, and were taken to Nierteti Hospital for treatment.

El Fasher

Demonstrators blocked one of the main roads in the North Darfur capital El Fasher yesterday to protest against the killing of a farmer. The protest made it impossible for buses to leave the city.

The protestors explained that the farmer, Mahdi Matar Idris, was stabbed to death by shepherds on his farm in the Arafana area, east of El Fasher on Saturday.

The protestors demanded the arrest of the perpetrators, a discussion regarding livestock, and the evacuation of the government forces from the Jagoujagou area.

The wali (governor) of North Darfur, Mohamed Arabi, said in a press statement that the Joint Forces managed to arrest three shepherds who are now under investigation.

Jebel Marra

The governor of South Darfur, Mousa Mahdi, said that fighting is taking place between the Kadoura and El Noun factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW) in the eastern Jebel Marra area.

Mahdi stated that the fighting led to the displacement of a large number of people and that the state has provided supplies and materials.

He criticized the police and said that the director of police did not cooperate. He also praised the role of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in maintaining security in South Darfur.

He said that the policies of the former regime regarding ownership of weapons are the main cause of the security problems in the state.